Suddenly Engaged
by yukikoneko1990
Summary: Stiles and Derek never met each other before, so how in the seven depths of hell, did they end up engaged? SLASH, AU
1. Help Me, I'm Engaged!

**I don't own the characters of Teen Wolf. I claim no rights to anything connected to the original Teen Wolf series.**

* * *

"I can't believe I did this!"

"Derek, you should really calm down."

"Lydia, you're _not_ helping!" said woman rolled her eyes as her best friend and employer glared at her. His lake green eyes were filled with panic, and his whole body was tense. It was funny seeing Derek Hale losing his composure like that.

He wasn't a man who lost control easily. He came on as cool and collected more often than not, and those who didn't know him often feared him.

Who wouldn't fear a glaring 6'3 tall, 220 lbs mass of perfect, firm muscle?

He was the wet dream of every single sane person, with his strong body, ruffled, thick black hair, perfect face, and those amazing green eyes.

(Un)fortunately, he was also single.

And _that_, at the moment represented quite a problem to him.

"Take it easy, Derek. It's just your sister!" Lydia teased and flipped her long, strawberry-blond hair over her shoulder and Derek huffed and rolled his eyes as he paced his office.

"You don't understand, Lydia. She's coming to meet my fiancé, _which_, if I recall correctly, _I don't have_!" Derek roared and Lydia rolled her eyes again.

"I don't see why you're making such a big fuss about all of this! You just have to tell her you broke up! Tell her you found whoever your fiancé was, sleeping with someone else! Tell her they ran off with someone else!"

"And then I'll have to think of a name because she'll run off after them to kill them." Derek pressed out through his teeth and all but threw himself on the couch. He covered his face with his hands and groaned, and Lydia threw him a pitying look and huffed. She tsked when she saw her boss obviously trying to smother himself with his own hands, and walked briskly over to him.

Not expecting her to do that, Derek ouffed and groaned when she sharply took a seat on his stomach, kicking what little air he had in his lungs out.

"I hate you!" he gasped out breathlessly and she rolled her eyes at him before she crossed her long lean legs and put more weight on his stomach.

"What's the use of all that muscle mass, if you can't handle having _me_ sit on you?" she drawled as she looked down at him and he looked up at her with a glare. "Just go and face her like a man, Derek!" her boss sighed and hit his head back against the couch.

"She'll be so disappointed." He murmured and Lydia looked at him with a worried frown.

"Derek, I know Laura. I know she's just worried about you and she wants you to settle down with someone who'll love you just as much as you deserve." Derek snorted and looked at the ceiling, and Lydia rolled her eyes. "Honestly, we're all wondering why someone didn't snatch you away already. You're 28, gorgeous and single. You're one of the most desired bachelors in Beacon Hills; you have more money than you could spend in a lifetime. I'm starting to think you think yourself too good for anyone."

"Lydia!" Derek groaned and Lydia raised an eyebrow at him. "You know that's not true." He stressed out and she snorted.

"That doesn't matter right now either way." She hopped off of Derek and looked down at him with her hands fisted on her thin waist. "Now, get up. You're supposed to meet her in 20 minutes and it will take you at least 15 to get to the café on foot." Derek got up with a groan and reflexively straightened his white, button up shirt and neck-tie. He fixed his belt before he walked over to his desk and took his suit-jacket. He pulled it on and made sure there were no wrinkles on it before he looked at Lydia and she smirked at him.

"Sharp as ever, boss-man!" she drawled and Derek rolled his eyes at her. "Although you could have shaved for the occasion." he frowned and rubbed his chin with his right hand as if considering her words. "God, Derek; just _go_ already! You have more to worry about than your beard!" he took a deep breath and exhaled sharply and grabbed his briefcase before he straightened his tie and nodded. Lydia winked at him as he passed beside her, and Derek was hard pressed _not to_ slam the door of his office closed. He nodded at his coworkers on his way out. He marched onto the streets of Beacon Hills, and made his way to the Café where he was supposed to meet his sister. He took a deep breath as he tried to think of a good excuse to say to her after finding a good enough reason as to why he lied to her about being engaged.

He sighed as he waited on a crossing for green light and checked his wristwatch. He'll be just in time.

He looked up at the blue sky as the light turned green and hurried over the road.

He understood why his sister was so worried about him.

Ever since their parents died in a car-crash, she was the one who watched over him. She practically raised him, since she was of age then. They were left alone in the big world, with their father's business which needed to go on, and Derek was a year away from finishing high school. Laura got her degree in economics that year, and while she took over Hale Inc., Derek went to college. He devoted his life to learning everything he'd need to know to take over their father's business, so Laura could fulfill her dream of teaching at her college. She met her husband a year after Derek took over the business, and had her first kid two years later.

Now, she and her husband Steve had two wonderful kids, Scott and Isaac, and Laura became obsessed with Derek finding someone to settle with.

It's not that Derek didn't _want_ that.

He was just busy!

He dedicated his life to his father's business, and it was blooming. Beacon Hills prospered from their business as well, and Derek had no intention of allowing his Company to fall. As the CEO of one of the best computer companies in the USA, Derek had his obligations, and he simply didn't have time to look for someone who wouldn't be with him just because of his money and good looks.

He took a deep breath when he reached the café with 5 minutes to spare and got in.

"Derek! It's good to see you again!" Erica, the owner and the main waitress of Moonlight Café, greeted him with that familiar leering grin on her face. Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes as she walked over to him, and he bowed down to kiss her cheek. "It's been weeks!" she chastised him and Derek shrugged as she led him over to his usual table.

"I've been busy, Erica." He said and she snorted before she flipped her long, blond hair over her shoulder.

"That's not an excuse, mister." She growled and he gifted her with an indulging smile.

"I know; sorry." He said and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Will it be your usual?" she asked and he nodded.

"I'll have my usual, yes; and please make a mocha-late as well. My sister should be here in a minute."

"Oh! Laura's back in town?"

"You bet I am, munchkin!"

"Laura!" Erica turned on her heel and enveloped a grinning Laura Hale-Sawyer in a bear-hug. Derek rolled his eyes and stood up to hug his sister once she let go of Erica.

"Let me see you, baby bro!" she hugged him tightly while Erica hopped in her place. "Is it me or did you get even bigger?" Laura teased as she squeezed Derek's shoulders and arms to feel his muscles. Erica snickered while Derek rolled his eyes again.

"It's good to see you again, Laura." He said and his sister grinned. She hadn't changed a bit since he last saw her. No one would ever be able to guess she gave birth to two children. She was a head shorter than Derek. She had a beautiful round face, and a pair of warm, chocolate brown eyes that were alight with mischief. Her long brown hair was gathered in a messy bun on top of her head, and she was smiling teasingly at her younger brother.

"I'll come back with your drinks right away." Erica said and ran off while Derek and Laura took seats.

"So!" Laura grinned at Derek and he smiled a little. "What's my little brother been up to?" Derek rolled his eyes and huffed and Laura's grin grew even bigger.

"I'm not little." He grumbled and Laura snickered.

"I can see _that_. It keeps me wondering how some lady didn't snatch you away sooner." Derek choked up a bit and Laura raised an eyebrow at him.

"Laura, about that-…"

"Here you go! One double espresso and one mocha-late." The Hales moved back while Erica placed their drinks on their table and Laura smiled at her.

"When does your shift end, Erica? I'd like for us to get some coffee together while I'm in town."

"I work the morning shift tomorrow and should be done by 3."

"Great!" Laura said with a grin and looked at Derek. "That gives me enough time to have lunch with Derek and his fiancé." Derek started coughing after he choked up on a sip of his coffee and Erica looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't know you were engaged, Derek! Who's the lucky girl?"

"Laura, there's something we really need to-…" Derek was interrupted by his phone ringing. He let go of a sigh of relief and nodded at the two ladies. "Excuse me." He murmured and all but ran out of the café. He crossed the street and answered the call. "I'm giving you a bonus for that." He pressed out through his teeth and heard an annoyed snort come from the other side.

_"You didn't tell her?"_

"She just arrived! And now Erica thinks I'm engaged!" he snapped and Lydia sighed.

_"Derek, just tell her! It's not like you'll find someone to pretend to be your fiancé on such a short notice; and besides-…"_

"You wanna bet?" he growled, cursing himself for not remembering that sooner.

_"Derek Anthony Hale, what are you thinking?"_ Derek winced at the full-name usage and took a deep breath.

"How soon can you be at Moonlight Café?" he murmured as he entered a small alley and stood behind the corner before he threw a glance at the entrance of the café.

_"Derek! Do I need to remind you that I'm in a-…"_

"I'll double your salary for the next 6 months." He pressed out through his teeth.

_"A year."_

"Deal." There was silence on the other side for a few moments.

_"I'll be there in 30 minutes."_ Derek let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding.

"You're a life saver." He breathed out. "Just remember that-…" in that moment a mass of black and red slammed into him and his phone flew into the wall behind him with a resonating 'crunch'.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" he snapped and jumped forward to grab the man that ran into him.

"Let go!" he snapped at Derek and tried to tear his hand out of Derek's hold. "Damn it, what are you made of; steel?!"

"Listen, kid-…"

"Fuck!" the man moved forward and peeked around the corner. "Listen, dude; I'm sorry about your phone, but you _really_ need to let go, _right now_!"

"Look-…"

"Damn it!" the man snapped and Derek let go of him in confusion. He looked around the corner and hopped nervously in his place. He then stopped and looked at Derek, and the business man felt something in him jump when his eyes met a pair of eyes the color of sun breaking through red topaz. "Fuck it."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Derek asked when the man took his hoody and jacket off and threw them behind a dumpster, and Derek choked up when he saw the lean, muscled body outlined by tight black clothes.

"I'm really sorry about this, dude."

Derek was ready for a lot of things.

He was ready for the man to attack him.

He was ready for him to try and bring him down.

What he _wasn't_ ready for, was for the slightly shorter man to grab his head in a firm hold, climb on his tip toes and kiss him in a way he was never kissed before. His breath caught in his throat when his nose was filled with the scent of leather and tobacco, and his mouth with the taste of coffee, cream and nicotine.

Without really realizing what he was doing he placed his hands on the man's thin waist and returned the kiss. On the corners of his consciousness he heard several pairs of running footsteps run towards them, and several men cursing quite vividly before they ran away.

All of a sudden, those soft, full lips were gone and Derek was staring into that pair of strange colored eyes again.

"I'm really sorry about that, man." Those full lips stretched into an uncomfortable grin and Derek swallowed and cleared his throat.

"What the – what's going on?" the slightly smaller man looked over his shoulder, hopping in his place under an obvious adrenaline rush. He dug through his pockets and pulled out a black, folded wallet. He pulled out several 100 dollar bills and thrust them in Derek's hand before he bowed down and picked Derek's phone up, thrusting it into his hand.

"Look, dude, I'm sorry about your phone. I really gotta scam now." While Derek stared at the money and his phone, the man, for he looked to be at least 25, jumped over to the dumpster and dug out his jacket and hoody before he frantically searched the pockets.

"Wait-…" Derek didn't really know what to say, but the man grinned at him as he folded the jacket and hoody in his arms and stored whatever he searched for in the back pocket of his jeans.

"It was nice m- well, _kissing_ you." He moved to run away but Derek caught his forearm intent on giving him back his money.

"I don't-…" the man looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened and filled with terror when he saw several men looking around on a corner some 15 meters away from them. They turned and ran towards them.

"Fuck!"

For whatever reason (he wasn't about to question himself), Derek pulled on the man's arm, spun him around, slammed him against the wall and kissed him again. He swallowed the surprised yelp the man let go of, and kissed him harder, listening for the sound of running footsteps. Once he was sure they were far enough, Derek pulled back and looked at the younger man who was staring up at him with wide, confused eyes.

"Thanks." He blurted out and Derek swallowed difficultly. The reality of the situation just slammed into him, and his whole body tensed up. 'I just helped a possible fugitive!' His mind came to a sharp focus when the younger man spoke up again. "I'll find a way to pay you back the moment I fix this mess, alright. I gotta-…"

"Derek?" said man jumped away and the other man almost fell on the floor because Derek was holding him up before, and they came to face the shocked face of Laura Hale.

"Laura!"

"Oh, gosh I'm so sorry-…"

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" Laura snapped and Derek stood straighter, feeling like a kid who went and had cookies before dinner when his mother strictly said he couldn't.

"Laura, I can explain everything. This isn't how it-…"

"Derek Anthony Hale, _why_ didn't you tell me your fiancé was a man?" Derek didn't even notice the guy he kissed minutes ago trip on thin air before he straightened.

"Look, ma'am-…"

"Come here; let me look at you." Laura grabbed him while Derek tried to find his tongue, and she pulled him out on the street. "You're one handsome fellow! Derek, dear brother, I didn't know you swung that way." Laura grinned at Derek and he blushed to the roots of his hair. "What's your name, dear?"

"S – Stiles, ma'am; Stiles Stilinski."

'Stiles; what kind of a name is Stiles?' Derek thought while Laura looked Stiles over with approval in her eyes.

"Derek, you sure know how to pick 'em." She winked at him and Derek finally found his voice.

"Laura, please-…"

"I don't know what you were doing in that dark alley. You'll have to excuse him, darling; my brother sometimes acts like he was raised by wolves." She pushed her hand under Stiles' elbow and all but dragged him along, and it took Derek a minute to snap out of his stupor and follow after them. He pushed the money and the phone in the pockets of his suit-jacket as he ran across the road, catching up with them before Laura managed to drag Stiles into the café.

"Laura, wait-…"

"Derek!" they stopped right in front of the entrance and Stiles was looking at Derek with wide, terrified eyes, and Derek shot him an apologizing look. "I just want to talk to him! I didn't even know who he was, and you didn't have the decency to tell him to come directly into the café, but you dragged him off into some dark corner as though you're ashamed of him! I didn't teach you to act like that!" Derek let go of an exasperated sigh, and the annoyance only grew when he saw traces of amusement glow in Laura's eyes.

"Look, Laura, would you _please_ go inside? I need to talk to Stiles; _alone_." Laura huffed and rolled her eyes.

_"Fine_!" she snapped. "But I expect you to join me inside in 5 minutes." She marched into the café and Derek turned to look at Stiles.

"I'm so-…"

"You _lied_ to your _sister_ that you're _engaged_?" Derek gapped at the younger man as Stiles laughed his soul out. "_Man,_ this is rich! I thought _I_ had problems!" Derek growled and Stiles stopped laughing. He settled on grinning at him instead, and Derek couldn't decide which was worse.

"I don't need a criminal to tell me I did something wrong." He pressed out through his teeth and Stiles snapped indignantly.

"Hey! I'm not a criminal!"

"Then how do you explain those man hunting you?!" Derek snapped and Stiles choked up and recoiled. He looked around nervously and Derek frowned.

"Look, I – I'm not a criminal." Stiles said and looked at him with those big, uniquely colored eyes. "I can't tell you what that was about, but – but I'm not a criminal." Derek snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He grumbled and brushed his fingers through his hair. "This all would have been easier if you didn't show up." Stiles winced and Derek noticed him looking around again. "Would you stop? They're long gone." Stiles took a deep breath and nodded.

"I know." He murmured. "I need to go now. And _you_ need to think of a way to tell your sister you're not engaged to me." Derek took a deep breath and held it for a moment before he exhaled sharply.

"She'll gut me." He murmured and Stiles shot him a pitying look.

"You know, if that's such big of a deal, you could have found someone who'd act like your fiancé for a few days. With your looks I doubt you'd have any problems."

"I'm afraid that was ruined when she caught us." Derek growled and Stiles smiled at him uncomfortably.

"Sorry. I hope the money I gave you will cover for your phone." Derek sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't care much about the phone right now." He murmured and Stiles snickered.

"I feel sorry for you, man. I thought _I_ had problems, but your sister, she's – well she's _something_." Derek nodded and looked past Stiles, and his eyes widened when he found those same men walking down the street, looking around.

"Shit." He murmured and Stiles looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened almost comically. Not really thinking about it, Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him into the café.

"Finally-…"

"Just a minute, Laura!" the businessman called out to his sister as he all but dragged Stiles into the men's room. He closed the door behind them, and Derek pushed Stiles into the wall. The younger man gazed up at him with wide eyes as Derek blew air out of his nose and looked into his eyes.

"Look, this whole situation is a big mess, but I _really_ don't want to face my sister's wrath, and I have a feeling you don't want those men to find you." Stiles nodded frantically. "Do they know how you look?"

"No. They never saw my face." Stiles blurted out and Derek nodded.

"We'll do it like this. You say you're not a criminal, and for now, I'll trust you. You pretend to be my fiancé for the week my sister's here, and after that I'll find a way to get you out of Beacon Hills without anyone ever finding you again." Stiles' eyes widened even more if possible and Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "The deal is off if you prove to be a mass murderer or something, of course." In that moment Stiles chuckled a little, and a moment later he laughed.

"You are asking me to p-…"

"Hush!" Derek snapped and Stiles shut his mouth.

"We don't even know each other!" Stiles hissed and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Derek Hale, CEO of Hale Inc." He offered his hand to Stiles, and the younger man raised an eyebrow at him.

"You _really_ don't want to tell your sister the truth, do you?" he drawled and Derek shivered.

"I'll rather sit in jail for harboring a criminal." He murmured and Stiles snorted and rolled his eyes. He took a look at Derek, and after a moment he accepted Derek's offered hand.

"Stiles Stilinski." He said and Derek raised an eyebrow when he left it at that.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked and Stiles took a deep breath.

"Sure." He grumbled and Derek nodded. He was about to get out of the bathroom when Stiles stopped him. "What's the story?" Derek frowned at him and Stiles rolled his eyes. "We can't just tell her we ran into each other on the street and got engaged out of the blue!" he pressed out through his teeth and Derek cursed under his breath.

"I don't know. You think of something." He murmured and Stiles huffed.

"Somehow I'm starting to think I'd rather face those guys." He grumbled and Derek snorted as he opened the door. Stiles followed him out only to almost run into him when Derek stopped in his tracks.

"Fuck." Derek murmured and Stiles looked over his shoulder and saw another woman sitting with Laura.

"Who's that?"

"She was supposed to be my cover." Derek said and Stiles winced.

"Well, man-…" he patted Derek's shoulder. "It's time to face the-…"

"Derek! About time! Come over here! I was just telling Lydia, how you had us all fooled for so long into thinking you're not only single, but gay as well!" Stiles snickered while Derek groaned as every single customer in the café looked at them.

"There goes my reputation." He grumbled as he and Stiles made their way over to the table.

"At least this _Lydia_ didn't tell her anything." He murmured and Derek nodded minutely. They reached the table and Derek took a seat heavily only to jump in his place when Lydia turned and looked at Stiles.

"Stilinski?"

"Martin?" the two stared at each other and the Hales raised matching eyebrows at them.

"You two know each other?" Laura asked as Lydia stood up and pulled Stiles into a firm hug.

"What's going on?" Lydia murmured in Stiles' ear.

"I'll tell you everything later." He pressed out through his teeth as they parted and Lydia quickly masked her surprise.

"Derek, you're a jerk." Lydia looked at her boss and Derek raised an eyebrow at her, hoping his sister didn't notice his nervosas.

"Don't blame him, Lydia. We just didn't want to make too big of a deal out of all of this, concerning he's the CEO of Hale Inc." Stiles said as he took a seat beside Derek and Lydia returned to her seat.

"Where do you know each other from?" Laura asked and Derek shifted in his seat. He wanted to know that just as much as Laura.

"We went to college together." Lydia said and Laura looked at Stiles.

"So, you went to MIT as well?" Stiles nodded and grinned.

"Top of my year." He said and Lydia snorted, and Stiles shot her a smug look. "Still jealous, aren't we?" he drawled and Lydia rolled her eyes.

"2 points; you topped me for_ two points_!" she snapped and Stiles laughed.

"Two points and a year of internship!" he drawled and Lydia pouted and looked away.

"Wait a minute." Laura interrupted their banter while Derek tried hard not to stare at Stiles in wonder. "Just how old are you, Stiles?"

"I'll be 27 in a week." He said and Laura's eyes widened.

"I thought you'd be younger." She murmured and Stiles chuckled.

"I get that a lot." He said and tossed Derek a sideways glance. "_Someone_ here called me jailbait on more than one occasion." Laura giggled, Lydia scoffed, Derek cleared his throat and Stiles batted his eyelashes at him cutely. Derek had to stop himself from shifting in his seat when those eyes focused on him.

"You act and look like a toddler more often than not; I couldn't help myself." He answered instead and Stiles snapped indignantly.

"Hey! You said I acted like a 5 year old yesterday? When did I de-age?"

"Some 20 seconds ago." Derek spoke dully and Stiles pouted.

"You hadn't changed a bit." Lydia said while Laura wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "Anyway, would the two of you mind if I stole Derek for a few moments? I need to ask him something about the job." Lydia said and Derek barely managed to stop himself from glaring at her. He didn't want to leave Stiles alone with Laura. If anything, his sister was crafty and he wasn't sure Stiles would be able to handle her alone.

"Lydia, can't it wait?"

"No." she stood up and smiled at Laura and Stiles, and Derek stood up with a sigh, trying to act as normal as possible. He was about to leave when Stiles cleared his throat, and when Derek looked at him Stiles smirked at him and wiggled his finger at him.

"What?" Derek asked in confusion and Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes. He moved faster than Derek ever saw anyone move, grabbed his hand and pulled him over, and Derek choked up when Stiles kissed him.

"You're forgetting that we're not hiding anymore, Sourwolf." Stiles teased and Derek's eyebrow twitched.

"Sourwolf?" he pressed out through his teeth and Stiles winked at him.

"Better than sweetie-pie." those strange eyes glimmered mischievously, and Derek heard his sister snicker.

"We'll be right back." Derek pressed out through his teeth and just before he walked away he saw Stiles wink at him. He and Lydia got out of the café and the moment the door closed behind them Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"What is this, Derek? How in the seven depths of hell did you get _Stiles Stilinski_ as your pretend-fiancé?" she hissed hurriedly and Derek brushed his fingers through his hair before he rubbed his face and gripped the bridge of his nose with his right hand index finger and thumb.

"It's a _really_ long story." He murmured and Lydia snorted.

"It better be a good one too, because I would sure as _hell_ want to know how a man that disappeared off the face of the world almost 4 years ago ended up as your fiancé." She pressed out through her teeth and Derek frowned.

"I ran into him, one thing led to another and Laura caught us, and – and she came to the wrong conclusion." He said and sighed. "How do you mean _disappeared_?" Lydia huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Just after we finished school, Stiles got an internship. I don't know where. We were good friends and he promised he would write, but he never did. I tried to locate him but it was like he completely disappeared." Derek frowned and looked at the café. He saw Laura laughing at something Stiles said, and the brown haired man was grinning brightly at her.

"He was hiding from someone." He murmured and Lydia frowned.

"Derek?"

"He said he wasn't a criminal." He said and looked at her and Lydia snorted.

"Stilinski; a criminal?" she rolled her eyes and Derek raised an eyebrow at her. "Please; he wouldn't be able to steal a pack of gums from a store." She grumbled and Derek frowned.

"So, who was he running from?" he murmured and she shrugged.

"I don't know, Derek. What I _do_ know, is that while he can be annoying and sometimes he acts like an idiot, he's a good guy. I can tell you that he had a few relationships during college. I know he dated a guy from our year and he broke his heart. Our ways may have parted a few years ago, but he was a good friend to me. He was a big influence on me. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be the person I am today." Derek frowned when Lydia shot him through with a strict look. "I don't know what happened to him, Derek, or how you two ended up in this scheme, but I swear to you, _hurt_ him and you'll fear me more than you fear Laura." Derek's frown deepened and Lydia's jaw shifted.

"Do you think you can handle being alone for the afternoon at work? I need to make sure my sister doesn't chase him off." Lydia snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Please; you'd be lost without me." Derek huffed and shook his head. "Let's go back. I fear what he could have told her."

"I can tell you one thing, Derek; you won't be bored with him around." They entered the café and both stopped in their tracks when they saw Erica and Laura practically laughing their hearts out at something Stiles said, while the man sat back in his chair with his arms thrown over his head and a huge grin on his handsome face.

"Derek! _Why_ in the name of all that is holy, did you hide him?! He's _hilarious_!" Laura cried out and Stiles' grin grew bigger.

"He was just telling us how the two of you met!" Erica said. She was sitting in Derek's seat, clutching her tray to her chest. Lydia took a seat while Erica excused herself, and Derek took her place.

"How _did_ you two meet?" Lydia asked and shot Derek a short glance, and Stiles giggled.

"Derek didn't tell you?" he asked and Lydia raised an eyebrow at him while Derek cleared his throat.

"Up until today I neither knew you were in town; I most certainly didn't know my boss was engaged, and I _definitely_ didn't know he was _gay_." She threw a glare at Derek who rolled his eyes. "If I _knew_ I wouldn't have tried to set him up with _several_ of my friends from the Book Club." Lydia tossed her hair over her shoulder and Stiles snickered.

"You'll have to excuse him, Lyds. I asked him to keep it all hush; we didn't know how everyone would react."

"You _could_ have _called_." Lydia insisted and Stiles looked at her with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry, Lydia. I didn't know you lived here; honestly. I only came here two months ago, and I've been so busy that I hardly go out if it isn't to meet with Derek."

"You didn't tell me what you do for a living?" Laura said and Stiles smiled at her.

"I'm a programmer; a freelancer." He said and Derek managed to mask his surprise in the last second. "I do programming for various companies."

"Wow." Lydia tilted her head to the side and Stiles raised an eyebrow at her. "Climbed high, didn't you?" Stiles groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Would you _stop_ acting like a bitter, PMS-ing, little b-…"

"Stiles!" the man looked at Derek with an innocent look.

"I was about to say baby." He said and Derek snorted.

"Yeah, right." he murmured and Stiles pouted, his eyes widening innocently.

"You're acting mean." He said and Derek groaned.

"Stiles." He dragged out and Laura laughed while Lydia rolled her eyes.

"You'll have to excuse me; since my boss decided to spend the afternoon with his future husband and sister, I need to go into the office to make sure everything runs smoothly." She said and stood up.

"Thank you, Lydia. I'll pay you back for this."

"You bet you will." She grumbled as she pulled on her jacket and smiled at everyone. "See you later." She said and marched out of the café with the flare only Lydia Martin possessed.

"She didn't change at all." The Hales looked at Stiles and he chuckled. "I never thought I'd meet her here, much less that she'd be working for you." He looked at Derek, and he chuckled.

"The world is a small place, they say." He said and the both of them looked at Laura when she sighed.

"You two look _soooo_ good together." The two blushed furiously and she grinned. "Now, I need to take care of some things, and since you have a free afternoon, why don't you and Stiles go and change and we'll go out together. I want to get to know Stiles better."

"Where are you staying?" Derek asked.

"Well I thought I'd stay with you, but I don't want to intrude on the two of you-…"

"What?!" Derek and Stiles snapped at the same time and then looked at each other wide eyed, and Laura raised an eyebrow at them.

"You wouldn't intrude on anything, Laura; really. Stiles-…"

"I don't-…"

"What do you two take me for; an idiot?" the two gapped while she rolled her eyes. "I started living with my husband before we even _thought_ about getting married. I know you two are living together."

"Laura-…"

"There's enough room for all of us." Stiles interrupted Derek, and the raven haired man looked at him wide eyed, while Laura grinned.

"If you insist." She said and stood up. "Now, I'll go and pay for our drinks, and we can go to Derek's place together, alright?" she walked away and Derek focused on Stiles.

"What were you thinking?"

"If we manage to convince her that we're all over each other and madly in love, she may leave faster." Stiles hissed in a hurry and Derek frowned. "Think! If we don't spend a lot of time with her, she might want to stay longer. This way we'll spend _way_ more time together, and she'll _get to know me better_." Derek growled low in his throat.

He had to admit it; Stiles could be right.

"You just failed to realize something; _you don't live with me_. I think it will be obvious with the lack of your clothes!" he hissed. "And you can't wear mine because she'll notice they don't fit you." Stiles frowned at that and hummed.

"We'll just say I didn't move in completely; you can drop me off at my hotel room and I'll take my bags."

"Don't you think she'll notice you live in a _hotel_?!" Derek could feel the panic setting in and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Just leave it to me." He said and a huge smile covered his face just as Laura returned. "Laura, would it be alright if we met up later? I just remembered I had to meet a client I've been making a program for."

"Sure! Derek and I can go to the apartment together and I'll settle in while you go to your meeting." Stiles winced and looked at Derek.

"I – I was thinking Derek could go with me. This guy I'm working for has some products that Derek might be interested in buying." He looked at Laura with a small hesitant smile. Derek expected her to snap. He expected her to rage and rave.

He didn't expect of her to gush and coo at his pretend-fiancé like he was the cutest little puppy she has ever seen.

"No problem, dear. Derek, give me the keys of your apartment. I'll settle in the guest room while the two of you go to that meeting." Derek stared at her wide-eyed, before he looked at Stiles who smiled at him sweetly. 'Who the heck _is_ he?!' he thought as he dug his keys out of his pocket and gave them to Laura. They waved at Erica as they got out of the café, and Laura kissed Derek's cheek before she kissed Stiles' and waved at them as she walked away.

"See you soon!"

The moment she was around the corner Stiles and Derek let go of the breaths they were holding and all but sagged to their knees.

"I'm starting to think it would be easier if I just told her." Derek murmured and Stiles snickered.

"It's just a few days, man." He said and clapped Derek's shoulder. "What could possibly go wrong?" Stiles grinned at Derek who looked at him dully with a raised eyebrow. Stiles rolled his eyes and snorted. "Let's go. She doesn't strike me like a patient person." He turned on his heel and marched down the street, leaving Derek no other choice but to follow.

And Derek had a feeling it would be a long, _very_ long week.

* * *

**So?**

**What do you think?**

**Should I continue?**


	2. One Down, Six To Go

"_This_ is where you _live_?" Derek rolled his eyes as he and Stiles stood in the alley behind the building he lived in. It was one of the oldest buildings in Beacon Hills; it had great historical value, and therefore the apartments weren't cheep. "Wow." Stiles hefted his duffle bag higher on his shoulder and took a firmer hold of the briefcase and laptop. "It's gonna be a bitch to climb that." He murmured and Derek's eyes widened.

"You mean to _climb_ to my room?"

"How exactly do you think I'll sneak my bag in?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow and Derek rolled his eyes.

"I'm _really_ starting to regret this." He grumbled.

"Hey; you should be regretting lying to your sister about being engaged." Stiles said and all but threw his briefcase and laptop in Derek's hands. "Hold this for me." Derek raised an eyebrow at him as Stiles checked his duffle bag to make sure it wouldn't slip down his shoulders and looked up. "Sixth floor; that window without curtains?" he checked and Derek nodded, and Stiles grinned. "See you in a few!" he said and moved for the fire escape.

"I'll go call an ambulance." Derek muttered only to gape when the younger man jumped onto the fire escape and hefted himself up without so much as a strained grunt. Derek's jaw almost met the floor when Stiles climbed the six floors in record time. His eyebrows met the line of his hair when Stiles opened his window without any problems and slid in as though he was used to doing that. "Not a criminal, my ass." He murmured as Stiles slid out, shut the window and waved down at him with a huge grin on his face. Derek winced when Stiles jumped over the fence and caught himself on the fence below. Within seconds he was down and grinning at Derek with wide eyes and a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Something smells really good in there." He commented and Derek raised an eyebrow at him.

"Adrenalin junkie." he murmured and gave Stiles his things before he turned his back on him and made his way to the front. Stiles snickered and followed after him, his stance casual and relaxed.

"See? We're already getting to know each other." He said and Derek rolled his eyes as they entered the old building and made their way to the elevator.

"I _still_ can't believe she bought your story of how we met." He grumbled as the elevator door opened and they got in. Stiles ginned as the door closed and Derek pressed the sixth floor button.

"I just told her the truth!" Derek raised an eyebrow at him and Stiles rolled his eyes. "Well mostly." He added. "At least I made you out to be a hero who saved me from those mean thieves who tried to steal my laptop!" the elevator stopped and they got out, making their way to the second door to the right in the huge, pale brow hallway."The story's quite romantic!" Stiles said as they entered Derek's apartment and the businessman shot him a glare. Stiles snickered as he hung his jacket and hoody on the hanger beside the door. "Laura, we're home!" he called out as Derek took his suit-jacket off and Stiles made his way forward, trying to inconspicuously look around to see which room was where.

"Stiles! Derek! I didn't expect you back so soon!" Laura came into the hallway and pulled Stiles into a hug before the younger man could do anything. Derek took a deep breath and pulled a smile on his face. 'Let the show begin.' He thought as Laura let go of Stiles and marched right over to him to kiss his cheek.

"The SOB didn't show up for the meeting." Stiles said and looked into the kitchen and attached dining room while Laura was preoccupied with fixing the collar of Derek's button-up white shirt.

"You should charge him double for that." She grumbled and Stiles snickered as he walked into the living room and dumped his things on the huge, comfortable couch. "You should really shave, Derek; you're starting to look like a caveman." She complained and Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles quickly checked everything behind Laura's back. The younger man nodded at Derek, and the CEO snorted when he approached Laura from behind and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't diss the beard; I love my caveman." Stiles winked at Derek while Laura rolled her eyes and raised her hands in surrender before she turned her back on them and marched right into the kitchen.

"Did you find everything?" Derek hissed.

"Except the bathrooms."

"They are attached to the bedrooms."

"There are _more than one_?" Stiles breathed out wide-eyed and Derek rolled his eyes with a suffering sigh.

"I hope you two are hungry!" Laura called out to them and they made their way into the kitchen.

"'Course we are! It smells _great_ by the way." Stiles grinned at Laura as he threw himself in a chair at the dining table and Laura snorted.

"Of course it smells great." Stiles snickered and Derek smirked as he untied his tie and made his way into his bedroom.

"I'll go and change. Stiles, could you come for a bit?"

"But Derek-…" Stiles whined only to huff when Derek shot him a small warning glance and the younger man stood up. "I'll be _right_ back, Laura." He said and she grinned at him.

"Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes!" she called out as the two left the living room and Stiles followed Derek into his bedroom. The moment they were in Derek closed the door and looked at Stiles.

"We need to make this as convincing as possible." Derek said and Stiles rolled his eyes as he walked over to the duffle bag he dumped beside the bed earlier and threw it on the bed.

"What we _need_ is to act like we're in a good, stable relationship." He said as he started pulling out his clothes. "If we overact this she'll get suspicious, and yet we can't act like we're nothing more than friends who happen to live together." He dumped everything on the bed before he looked around with his duffle in his hand. "Where can I put everything?" he asked and Derek huffed as he walked over to the big, wooden wardrobe. He opened it and quickly made some room on two shelves.

"You can put your shirts and trousers here." He said as he moved on and made place among his hanging suits. "And you can hang your button up shirts here." Stiles nodded and quickly started to put everything in place. "And how _exactly_ are we supposed to act then?" Stiles rolled his eyes as he started to hang his plaid, flannel shirts beside Derek's neatly ironed and pressed suits. The contrast made him raise an eyebrow and his lips twitched into a small smile before he turned to look at Derek.

"Don't tell me you've never been in a real relationship before." He said and Derek crossed his massive arms over his strong chest, and Stiles found himself swallowing a bit as he made himself stay calm. 'I couldn't have run into some old hobo, could I?' he thought as Derek stared at him with those strange eyes of his. 'Heterochromia?' he thought, because Derek's eyes weren't merely amazingly green; there was a darker, almost black edge around the iris, and Stiles couldn't help but wonder how this amazing, sexy man managed to remain single for so long.

"Define 'real relationship'." He pressed out through his teeth and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"A relationship that lasted more than two months?" he dragged out and Derek snorted.

"Not since college." Stiles' eyebrows met the line of his hair.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I didn't have time for relationships." Derek bit out and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Either you're gay and this city lacks guys with good taste, or you're frigid and the girls didn't like you."

"For your information, I _bisexual_, and this city just lacks anyone who wouldn't be with me for looks or for money. I dedicated my life to my father's company, and I didn't have time for relationships." Stiles snorted and shook his head.

"Keep telling yourself that, darling." He said and clapped Derek's chest in passing as he made his way over to the bed, and only then did Derek notice that he left out a shirt and a pair of pants to change into.

"What are you doing?" he asked when Stiles tugged off his long sleeved shirt to reveal a black wife-beater that clung to his thin, well defined, muscled, lithe form like a second skin, and Derek choked up.

"You told Laura you're going to change. We can't go out wearing the same things we wore before." Derek pressed his lips into a thin line as Stiles shamelessly took the wife-beater off and Derek caught sight of a strange tattoo at the small of Stiles' back, before he pulled on a big, well worn, gray t-shirt. He took a seat as he took his pants off and Derek froze up completely, his tongue stuck to his palate and breath hitched somewhere in his throat. Stiles pulled on a pair of light gray jogging pants before he pulled on a black hoody and stood up to look at Derek with a huge grin. He brushed his fingers through his ruffled hair and raised an eyebrow at Derek.

"What are _you_ waiting for?" he asked and Derek tensed up. He walked quickly over to an armchair that sat in the corner of the room, and grabbed the clothes that rested there before he all but ran into the bathroom. He could swear he heard Stiles laugh as he closed the door and took a deep breath.

'Take a deep breath, Hale.' He thought as he quickly took his button up shirt and suit-pants off. He got dressed into a comfortable pair of black pants and a dark gray Harley sweater, before he looked at his reflection in the mirror. 'Lydia's right. I haven't been in a relationship for _far_ too long.' He opened the cold water and washed his face before he dragged his wet hands through his hair. 'He could be a criminal. He's just someone who I ran into at the most inappropriate moment.' He looked at his reflection again and took a deep breath. 'It's just a week. A week of pretending that' I'm in a relationship – that I'm _engaged_ to someone I hardly know.' He swallowed difficultly as his mind produced images of strange, topaz colored eyes and full, laughing lips. 'Couldn't have been Lydia; noooo. At least with _her_ I'd know what to expect.' His lips tingled when he remembered the kisses they shared and he shook his head strongly as he tried to erase that memory from his mind. 'Couldn't have come up with an excuse, could you, Hale?' he cursed under his breath and straightened. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. 'It's just a week. You can handle it. Handle it like a man!' he stepped out of the bathroom and made his way into the hallway. He stepped into the kitchen and his eyes widened when he found Laura and Stiles setting the table together, laughing at some thing or another.

"Took you long enough, Sourwolf!" the younger man danced around the table with grace Derek never saw in _anyone_, and his breath caught in his throat when Stiles marched right over to him, climbed on the tips of his toes and stole a light kiss from Derek before he moved over to the table again and Laura laughed her heart out at Derek's frozen expression. Stiles shot him a pointed look and Derek quickly shook himself out of it. He took a seat at the table and glared at Laura when she winked at him.

"What were you laughing at?"

"Stiles was just telling me about the time he and Lydia went camping with some of their friends during college, and how they managed to burn two tents to the ground because – what was his name?"

"Jackson." Stiles jumped in and Laura grinned.

"_Jackson_ somehow managed to forget to localize the fire by putting rocks around it, and they all went skinny dipping in the lake, and by the time they realized what was going on they were two tents-…"

"And several pairs of clothes!"

"And several pairs of clothes short!" Laura and Stiles started laughing again while Derek snorted and shook his head in amusement.

"You can imagine the _embarrassment_ we lived through when Jackson, Danny and I had to wear Lydia's and Allison's pants! Actually, Danny and I managed to squeeze into them while _Jackson_ had to pull on Lydia's skirt, because he couldn't fit in her pants." Stiles recapped the event with a huge grin on his face and Laura burst out into laughter.

"Please, tell me you have photos!" she cried out and Stiles grinned.

"I'm sure I have them stored in some folder on my laptop."

"You _have_ to show me!" Laura said.

"Can we have dinner now?" Derek interrupted and the two rolled their eyes at him.

"Don't be such a Sourwolf, Derek! We're just having some fun." Stiles said and winked at him and Derek sighed as he started piling his plate with fries and stake.

"I've been meaning to ask; why do you call him Sourwolf?"

"Doesn't he look like one?" Stiles said and Derek rolled his eyes while Laura laughed. "I'm serious! With that ruffled, thick, black hair and that beard he looks just like Wolfman! All he needs is a black nose and we have ourselves a winner! Besides, he's frowning more than he's smiling either way. He's like a _really_ sour lemon!" Laura almost fell out of her chair with how hard she was laughing while Derek glared daggers at Stiles. "But under all that he's just a really kind, gentle, loving man." Laura stopped laughing and looked at Stiles with her head tilted to the side and a small smile on her lips. "I guess that's what I fell in love with."

"Aww." Laura looked at Derek with a pitiful pout. "He saw right through you, didn't he, you big teddy-bear?" Derek huffed and rolled his eyes, although a small smile was tugging on his lips. When he caught Stiles' eyes the younger man shrugged and dug into his food.

"Oh, Stiles, you didn't tell me; what do your parents think about your engagement to my brother?" Derek frowned when Stiles instantly paled and his fork stilled half way to his mouth. He swallowed, cleared his throat and continued eating. He swallowed the bite he took and gifted Laura with a small, sad smile.

"My mom died when I was a kid. I never knew her." He said and Laura stilled completely. "And my dad died in the line of duty while I was at college. He was a Sheriff. Some idiot kid shot him when he and his men were summoned to stop a bank robbery." Laura looked at Derek with terrified eyes, while he stared at Stiles with understanding shining in his eyes.

_'Stilinski; a criminal? Please; he wouldn't be able to steal a pack of gums from a store!'_ Lydia's words ran through Derek's mind, and he finally understood why she said that.

"I'm sorry, Stiles." Laura said and Stiles gifted her with a smile, although his eyes were closed and he was still pale. They jumped in their places when a cell phone started ringing and Stiles jumped up.

"I'll be right back." He murmured and all but ran into Derek's room.

"Derek, I'm so sorry; I didn't-…"

"You couldn't have known." Derek reassured her. '_I_ didn't know.' He thought as Laura sighed and looked at her plate. "Everything's alright. I'll go check up on him, okay?" she gifted him with a small strained smile as Derek stood up and followed after Stiles. He reached the closed door of his room only to stop in his tracks when Stiles' voice reached him.

_"I don't care!"_ he moved closer to the door with a frown marring his face. _"Listen, Deaton. I did this for you, **not** for them, and you can tell them that too; and as no good deed goes unpunished I now have a **price on my head**!"_ Derek swallowed difficultly as he listened in to Stiles. He knew he shouldn't be doing that. He knew that the less he knew the better. But there was a part of him that wanted to get to know Stiles. He wanted to get to know that man that ran into him mere hours ago looking as though Hell Hounds were chasing after him; the man that laughed so freely minutes ago, only to have real pain and sorrow shine in his eyes at the mention of his deceased parents.

_"I didn't get caught! I'm not an amateur, Deaton!"_ Stiles fell quiet and Derek frowned. _"Well, someone must have set me up, because I **didn't get caught**! I'm better than that and you know – **fine**!"_ he snapped and Derek recoiled from the door. _"I don't care! I'm lying low for now. Don't call until you figure this out."_ In the next moment Derek heard something small meet a wall and Stiles cursed up a blue streak. Derek took a deep breath, steeled his stance and knocked on the door. Without waiting for permission he entered and found Stiles sitting on the floor with his face buried in his hands and his elbows resting on raised knees. With a sigh, Stiles lowered his hands and tilted his head to the side to look at Derek.

"You okay?" he asked and Stiles snorted. He bowed his head as Derek entered and closed the door. He took a seat on the bed and Stiles rested his head back on it, looking up at Derek with shadowed eyes. "Should I ask?"

"No." the younger man murmured and Derek nodded.

"Are you compromised?" Stiles snorted at the term and shook his head.

"No." the older man nodded and looked at the door leading into the bathroom.

"If I didn't stop you, you would have made it; you would have run away and they wouldn't have caught you." Stiles snorted and brushed his bangs back before he entwined his fingers in his hair.

"I might have been caught. Thankfully, I'll never know." He muttered and Derek snorted and shook his head with a small smirk.

"Yeah; thankfully." He grumbled and Stiles looked up at him with a smirk, his hands dangling between his spread legs. "I'm sorry; about your parents." Stiles sighed and nodded.

"It's alright. I made peace with it a long time ago." Derek frowned and looked at the floor.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was 17." He murmured and Stiles looked up at him. "Laura was just finishing college. She took care of me; made sure I went to college, that I missed nothing." He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "It's been the two of us ever since. She's not only my sister. She's also my best friend and in a way, my mother." Stiles nodded and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry about your parents."

"It's alright." Derek said and smiled down at Stiles. "I made peace with it a long time ago." Stiles chuckled and nudged Derek's left leg with his shoulder.

"Let's go; before Laura gets the wrong idea." He pushed himself on his feet and Derek stood up as well. Without another word they made their way into the kitchen and found Laura pacing it, wringing her hands in front of her stomach and biting into her bottom lip. She stopped pacing the moment they entered, and before Stiles could say anything she ran over to him and pulled him into a strong, warm hug, making him choke up and look at Derek with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Stiles." She whispered, and Stiles let go of the breath he was holding. He smiled and hugged her back tightly, and Derek shook his head with a small sigh.

"It's alright, Laura. You couldn't have known." He patted her back and pulled back, gifting the older woman with a small smile. "Now, what say you we finish dinner, hm?" she wiped her tears away and nodded with a hesitant smile.

"Sure."

* * *

The heavy atmosphere cleared pretty quickly with Stiles sharing childhood stories with them, and soon enough they retired into the living room with cups of coffee in their hands.

They didn't even notice time passing them by as Laura and Derek spoke of their childhood and college years, and Derek, for the first time in a while, actually felt _good_.

It struck him as strange, actually. He was in the company of his sister (who he lied to that he was engaged just to stop her from worrying about him) and a man he knew for merely a few hours (who was pretending to be his fiancé), and he was actually relaxed.

He didn't remember a time he laughed as much as he did in the past hour or so. Laura was sitting in an armchair with her legs pulled under her. Stiles was sprawled out on the couch, looking as if he belonged there for all rights and purposes, meaning Derek was condemned to sit on the floor, leaning back against the couch, and in extension, Stiles' thigh.

Stiles just finished telling them how he and Lydia managed to get kicked out of the classroom at college because the professor couldn't listen to them trying to outsmart one another anymore, when Laura yawned and Derek looked at his wrist watch.

"Damn it. I have to go to work in less than 6 hours." He murmured and Laura raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's already so late?" she looked at the grandfather clock and saw that it was indeed already 1 AM. "We should all go to bed. Derek, when are you done with work tomorrow?"

"Usually I stay until 5."

"I'm meeting Erica at 3." Laura said. "Stiles, what were your plans for tomorrow?" the youngest among them shrugged as he covered up a yawn.

"I planned to stay home and work on a few programs." He said and Laura nodded.

"Derek, do you think you would be able to have lunch with us? I'm sure the Company won't suffer." She drawled and Derek rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Sure." He murmured and Laura stood up.

"Great! Stiles and I will pick you up at 12. That should give us enough time to have lunch in peace before I meet up with Erica." The men stood up as well and Laura walked over to kiss their cheeks. "Don't be too loud boys! Good night!" she walked out of the room leaving two gapping men behind.

"Shit. I completely forgot about that." Derek murmured and Stiles looked up at him wide-eyed.

"You forgot about what?" he bit out and Derek swallowed difficultly.

"I forgot about sleeping arrangements."

"What are you talking about?! I'll just sleep here!" Stiles hissed and Derek glared at him.

"And what if she wakes up before you? She'll wonder why my fiancé's sleeping on the couch instead of sleeping with me in my bed?!" Derek pressed out through his teeth and Stiles whined; he actually _whined_.

"_Fine_!" he stressed out and marched out of the room, and Derek all but ran after him. "I'll sleep on the damn floor." Stiles bit out when they entered Derek's room, grabbed a pillow and a blanket off of the bed, leaving only one cover and one pillow on it, and threw them on the ground.

"Stiles!"

"What?!" the two faced off and Derek sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right hand index finger and thumb.

"Knowing Laura, she'll come in to wake me up." He ground out and Stiles threw his head back with a groan. "We'll have to share the bed."

"GOD!" Stiles moaned and Derek frowned. "I swear, I'm writing a damn book about this whole damn situation once it's all over." Derek's frown deepened slightly, but Stiles bowed down, picked the pillow and the blanket up and all but threw himself into the bed.

"Stiles-…"

"Hush. Sleeping." The younger man interrupted him as he buried his face in the pillow, lying on the very edge of the bed, and Derek took a deep suffering breath as he walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

'Okay.' He thought as he brushed his teeth. 'One day down and six more to go.' He walked into the bathroom and raised an eyebrow when he saw that Stiles was already very much asleep if his breathing was any indication. He huffed and shook his head as he walked around the bed and lay down. He turned on his side, facing away from Stiles as he covered himself with what little covers Stiles left him, and closed his eyes.

Maybe, if that night was any indication, this won't be all that bad.

* * *

**Did you like it? **  
**More comes as soon as possible!**

**All my love, ****  
****Ms. Yuki**


	3. Secrets

"It's not my fault you're a fucking cuddling monster!"

"If I remember correctly, you've been cuddling to me just as much!"

"Derek? Stiles? Are you ready?" the two men turned on their heels and forced smiles on their faces when Laura walked out of the guest room and grinned at them brightly.

"I was just telling Derek that he shouldn't forget to buy coffee before work. He's a grump without it." Stiles blurted out and Derek suppressed the need to growl at him.

It happened as expected. Laura did in fact, come to wake up Derek promptly at 6 AM. What they _didn't_ expect was for an incriminating photo to appear on Laura's cell phone. _Somehow_ Derek and Stiles ended up in the middle of the bed, holding on to each other, with Stiles' head tucked under Derek's chin and Derek's arms protectively wrapped around the smaller man. Neither remembered how it happened. Neither remembered when they moved. And _neither_ liked the fact that Laura caught it all with her phone.

The embarrassment of the situation was beyond anything either one of them ever felt.

"We can stop by Starbucks on the way to the office, and then Stiles and I can go to the Mall." Laura said while Derek pulled on his suit-jacket. Laura huffed and was about to go and fix his collar when Stiles turned with a tsk.

"Why do you insist on wearing suits when you can't even put them on properly?" he grumbled as he fixed Derek's collar and tie while Laura snickered in the back.

"Maybe I like to annoy you? And I think I remember you saying a few times that you like a man in a suit." Derek spoke before he thought things through and managed to hide his embarrassment by raising an eyebrow at Stiles when the slightly smaller man looked up at him from under his eyebrows.

"I _do_ like a man in a suit." Stiles drawled and Derek blushed. He actually _blushed_. Stiles smirked at him and tugged on his tie to pull him lower. "Especially the tie; I _love _the tie." Derek cleared his throat when those amazing eyes glimmered up at him mischievously.

"Right." He grumbled and straightened, he fixed his tie to divert his attention from Stiles who was smirking at him with his arms crossed over his chest and Laura who was trying to stifle her laughter. "We need to go." He all but ran out of his apartment and Laura couldn't hold her laughter anymore. Stiles chuckled and shook his head while Laura walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"You're torturing him, and I'm loving it, kiddo. I swear, if he screws this up I'm gonna kill him." She walked out of the apartment and left Stiles alone to lock it up. The younger man winced as he closed and locked the door. He just remembered that he and Derek didn't talk about what would happen after Laura leaves. Sure, he knew Derek and Laura for less than a day, but he kinda liked them both. He had to admit that Derek was hot, _and_ he was obviously intelligent and smart, if a little cowardly when it came to his sister, although Stiles could understand that. As much as he gathered from last night, Laura and Derek were completely alone. Sure, Laura had her husband and kids, and Stiles could understand why she wanted Derek to find someone like she did.

He was starting to like them, and that wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.

'I should have just run away.' He thought as he joined Laura and Derek in front of the elevator. Laura was teasing her brother about something and the expression of tired exasperation on Derek's face brought a small smile on Stiles' lips. His heart ached slightly.

It was funny.

It was funny and completely incredible, how in less than 24 hours you can start caring about someone you never knew before.

And it was completely heartbreaking to know that it would only last for a few short days.

* * *

Stiles checked his phone for the hundredth time in the past half an hour. He and Laura passed the mall at least 6 times until that moment. He looked up from the bench he was sitting in at Laura who was on the phone for the past 36 minutes talking with her husband. Stiles looked around again. He wasn't comfortable. They were in a public place, there were thousands of people around them, and Stiles was uncomfortable as fuck. His legs were hopping nervously, and he could feel his palms getting sweaty.

He hated this.

He hated it with a passion.

Right at that moment he wanted to run back to Derek's apartment, take his laptop and figure out how he ended up in this shitty situation.

He glanced at Laura again and she threw him an apologetic glance. He threw her a weak smile before he looked around again.

His hands were fisted on his knees and his breathing was becoming shorter and shorter by the second.

"Are you alright?" his head snapped up and Laura recoiled.

"Yeah!" he said and stood up quickly as he wiped his hands on his thighs in a nervous gesture. "Yeah, I'm fine." He gathered Laura's bags off of the floor. "We should hurry up if we want to have lunch with Derek."

"Stiles, wait." Laura grabbed his elbow and stopped him. He looked at her and saw the worried frown on her face. "What's wrong? You look like you're on the verge of a panic attack." She spoke and her frown deepened when Stiles looked around quickly before his eyes settled on her again.

"I – I'm not too fond of crowded places." He said and Laura's eyes widened.

"You idiot, why didn't you tell me?!" she snapped, grabbed his arm and dragged him along towards the parking lot. "You should have told me! I've been dragging you around the mall for hours! How didn't I notice before?!" the younger man stared at her back with wide, confusion filled eyes. They got out on the parking lot, and Laura dragged him onward towards the bus-stop on the other side. Once they were there she turned to face him, took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes. "Concentrate on me, alright? We're out of the mall and out in the open. Just concentrate on me and breathe." Stiles swallowed difficultly and nodded to the best of his abilities. "You should have told me you don't like crowded places when I asked you to come with me, Stiles." She chastised him gently. "We could have done something else." He chuckled as his heartbeat and breathing went back to normal. She was combing her fingers through his hair in a calming gesture, never looking away from his eyes.

"You're pretty good at this." He commented, surprised with how broken his voice sounded.

"I doubt Derek told you this; I think he's still ashamed of it, but he used to get panic attacks as well. Every time he'd get close to a car, he'd get panic attacks. He's better now, but he still doesn't get into a car if he doesn't need to." Stiles nodded and took a deep, calming breath. "Are you feeling better?" she asked and he nodded. She lowered her arms to her sides and pushed her hands into the pockets of her jean-jacket.

"Yeah; thank you." He said and straightened. She smiled at him gently and shifted her weight.

"If you don't want to do something, Stiles, you need to tell me. I'm not going to force you into anything. I may be Derek's older sister, and you two may be engaged, but you don't need to try to impress me. Seeing how Derek acts around you is enough." Stiles raised an eyebrow at her as they took seats on the bench on the bus-station and Stiles placed Laura's bags around his legs.

"How he acts around me?" he asked and Laura nodded.

"Yeah, I mean it hasn't been 24 hours yet, but I've seen the way Derek looks at you, and the way he responds to you. I don't remember seeing him as relaxed as he was last night in a long, long time." Stiles raised an eyebrow at her and Laura chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I don't remember the last time he laughed."

"Really?" he asked and Laura smiled wistfully before she looked at him.

"You may not know him the way I do." She said and Stiles leaned closer to her.

"Tell me. Tell me how he was before." He asked and she sighed.

"He was – well, I guess he was completely dedicated to his job. The Derek I know would never decide not to go back to work if he had to leave early. I remember Lydia calling me several times to ask what to do because Derek fell asleep in the office. I do believe you know he has a couch in there." She murmured and Stiles snorted. 'Must be why his shoulders are so tense.' He thought. He noticed Derek rolling his neck and shoulders a few time this morning. 'His muscles must be all cramped up.' He looked at Laura when she started talking again. "I don't think he has many friends besides Lydia and Erica, and I think he only knows Erica because she owns the coffee shop."

"I haven't met anyone besides Lydia yet." Stiles confirmed and Laura snorted.

"I keep wondering why he kept you a secret." She grumbled and Stiles winced, knowing he would have to come up with something good. 'Well truth is half the lie.' He thought and took a deep breath.

"It's because of my job." He said and Laura looked at him with a confused frown. "While some of the programs I create are completely innocent, there are some I've created that were meant for high profile institutions and people. Part of why our relationship was a secret is because I'm trying to keep a low profile, and being engaged to Derek Hale of Hale Inc. doesn't exactly spell low profile." Laura chuckled when Stiles winked at her.

"You're right." She said and Stiles let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding. "I'm glad though." Stiles looked at her with a confused frown and she smiled at him. "I'm glad you and Derek ran into one another." Stiles swallowed difficultly. 'You don't even know how correct that statement is.' He thought heavily, but on the outside he just smiled at her.

"Me too, Laura; I'm glad I ran into him as well."

* * *

"So basically, you know absolutely _nothing_ about who he was running from, _why_ he was running or what he's doing for a living." Lydia concluded and Derek huffed as he stared at the screen of his computer.

"I know absolutely nothing." He murmured distractedly while his fingers danced over the keyboard quickly. Lydia rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"I can make a few phone-calls; try to solve the mystery." Derek stopped typing and looked at her.

"I don't think that's a smart idea." He said and she frowned at him.

"Derek, I hadn't seen him in years. I know he's a good guy, and I know he would never hurt anyone, but don't you think it's strange that he basically disappears off of the face of the world and reappears years later running from some shady guys in suits? And you say he hid something in his pocket before you could see what it was _and_ that he had 400 dollars in cash carrying them around like _normal_ people carry change; not to mention that he gave them to you as if he could spare money. The Stiles Stilinski I know had a few thousand dollars college loan to pay back."

"You said he was on a scholarship." Derek said with a confused frown and Lydia huffed.

"He was a bit overzealous and signed up for another college. He had to pay for that one."

"What did he study?" Derek asked and completely turned away from his computer.

"I don't know." She said and shrugged. "Somehow he managed to hide that from me." Derek's frown deepened.

"He's becoming more of a mystery every minute." He murmured and Lydia huffed.

"Tell me about it. But like I said; he's not a criminal. With all those superhero comics and movies he loves, and considering his dad was a sheriff, I doubt he has an evil bone in his body."

"People change, Lydia." Derek warned her and she shook her head.

"Not people like Stiles. I can bet my life on that." Derek frowned and looked at the screen of his computer.

"What more can you tell me about him?" he asked and Lydia snorted.

"Fishing for information, are we?" she drawled and Derek shot her a look from under his eyebrows.

"We _are_ supposed to be engaged." Lydia snorted and rolled her eyes.

"He loves action movies, thrillers and horrors, but he also loves to go to theater. As much as I remember his favorite color is green, his favorite band is Nickelback, and he's never been to a concert in his life. He adores Saturday morning cartoons and loves to sleep in when he can. His favorite food is anything _bathed_ in grease and he'll kill for a cup of coffee in the morning."

"Those are facts." Derek said. "I want to know how he is as a man." He said and Lydia frowned.

"He-…" she started only to stop. She stared at the table in front of Derek for a few minutes before she sighed and looked at him. "He is a dedicated man. Whenever he decides to do something there is nothing in the world that can stop him. When he likes someone he will do everything in his power to make sure they are alright. He loves deeply and thoroughly, and I don't think he really cares if it's reciprocated or not. He loves physical contact, and he enjoys attention, but he won't seek it out. He is equally happy being in the center of attention as he is sitting on the sidelines. He loves making people laugh, and he – I guess he just loves people. He is extremely difficult to read, because for some reason he doesn't want to burden people with his problems. He had a few relationships during college, but they all ended because those guys used him and dumped him. He's not really romantic, but he won't say no to a dinner at the top of the building just for two." Derek listened to her with his eyes gazing unfocused on something in front of him. "Derek?"

"Hm?" he looked at her and frowned when he saw the pleading expression on her face.

"Stiles also falls in love easily." She warned him and his frown deepened.

"I don't think I have to worry about that." She snorted and shook her head.

"No, Derek; you don't understand. You are unlike any of the guys Stiles dated during college. Now, I don't know if anything changed in between him leaving and coming back, but I know this; he falls in love easily, and gives his heart fully and unconditionally. You aren't only handsome, Derek. You're also kind and loving, and you are a good man. I have a feeling Stiles has had a lack of good men in his life. He is seeing a side to you that you don't show often. It may have been a while since I've seen him, but I _know_ him. I know his heart. And I'm warning you, Derek Anthony Hale; hurt him, and you'll answer to me." Before Derek could say anything the door opened and Laura marched in without knocking with Stiles following close behind with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Derek Anthony Hale _why_ didn't you tell me your fiancé is afraid of crowded places?! He almost had a panic attack!" Laura snapped at Derek as he and Lydia jumped on their feet.

"Laura, it's alright-…"

"It's not alright!" Laura turned quickly to look at Stiles before she looked at Derek again with her hands fisted on her waist and narrowed eyes glaring daggers at her younger brother. "You knew I was taking him to the mall, and you probably knew Stiles wouldn't tell me anything! Why didn't you tell me he's prone to panic attacks?!"

"I didn't-…"

"He didn't know, Laura!" Stiles jumped in and stood in front of Laura with raised hands. "It never came up." He tried to ignore Lydia's frown aimed at him, and Derek's eyes boring into the back of his head.

"How do you mean 'it never came up'? Are you telling me my brother never took you anywhere?" she glared at Derek over Stiles' shoulder, and the young man tried to think of a quick explanation.

"No, he _does_ take me places, but – but with him it's never a problem." He stuttered out, and while Lydia and Derek raised eyebrows at him, Laura's frown grew softer. "I feel safe with him and – and I'm alright around him." Laura stared at him for a few long minutes. "That's why he didn't know. I never had a panic attack around him." A few more minutes later Laura sighed and her stance shifted.

"Alright." She murmured and Stiles let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding as he took a step to the side and glanced at Derek before he looked at the ground again. "Derek, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that." She apologized and Derek nodded although his eyes were focused on Stiles who was looking around his office, obviously trying to fade into the background.

"It's fine. I honestly didn't know Stiles had that problem."

"Neither did I." Lydia said and Stiles looked at her. When their eyes met Lydia shot him an inquisitive look, but only received minute shaking of Stiles' head as an answer.

"Fine." They looked at Laura when she sighed. She raised her head and smiled at Derek. "Let's just forget about this, alright?" she received confirming nods from everyone before she looked at Derek again. "Are you ready to go for lunch?" Derek sighed and brushed the fingers of his left hand through his hair before he took a seat again.

"I don't know if I should go. It seems we have a problem with a new program we're developing and I just can't figure out what it is. It has to be ready for tomorrow. I'm supposed to present it in front of the Board of Directors." He grumbled and Laura frowned.

"I thought you have people who are in charge of that." Derek snorted and shook his head.

"They've all checked it over several times, and they found nothing."

"Can I take a look?" everyone looked at Stiles when he spoke up and Derek raised an eyebrow at him. Stiles shrugged as he pushed his hands in the pockets of his red hoody. "I might see something you've missed." Derek spared a glance for Lydia and she nodded minutely.

"Sure; why not." Derek said and stood up. Stiles all but ran around the table and threw himself in Derek's chair. Without a word he focused on the screen with hunched shoulders and a slight frown on his face. Lydia and Laura exchanged small glances while Derek stood beside Stiles with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. He felt something in him shift when Stiles bit into his bottom lip and leaned closer to the screen with narrowed eyes.

"You'll have to wear glasses one day if you continue staring at the screen like that." Laura commented.

"I already do." Stiles muttered distractedly and the other three raised eyebrows at him.

"Since when do you wear glasses? As far as I can remember you had perfect eyesight." Lydia asked.

"Accident at work; I've been wearing glasses for 3 years now." He murmured as he moved even closer and leaned his elbows on the table as he bit into his bottom lip again and shifted his jaw from side to side. He didn't see the confused frowns that marred the faces of the other three. "There you are." Derek leaned closer when Stiles moved back a bit, cracked his fingers and started typing faster than Derek saw anyone type in his life, and since he was constantly surrounded by computer technicians that meant something.

"What is it?" he asked and Stiles hummed.

"That's an anti-virus program; I've seen some similarities with what I've written before. I encountered the same mistake. The program would work on an I-phone or a Smart-phone, but it wouldn't work on larger computers. The configurations while similar are different at a few points." While he was speaking, his fingers were moving over the keyboard in the speed of light, and Derek couldn't follow the symbols Stiles was bringing into the equation for the life of him. "There." The slightly smaller man pressed Enter and moved away from the computer to smile up at Derek. "Give this to your technicians to run it through the system. It will work perfectly." Derek raised an eyebrow at him while Lydia moved around to look at the screen over Stiles' shoulder.

"I should bring you to the office more often." Derek murmured and Stiles snickered.

"Don't you have a policy about fraternizing among employees?" he drawled and Derek snorted while Laura snickered.

"Whoever said you'd be an employee?" Derek drawled and Stiles grinned at him.

"Oh, I don't know. I've always had a fantasy about having an affair with my boss." He returned in kind and while Derek and Lydia rolled their eyes, Laura snickered. "Hey!" Stiles snapped when Lydia smacked the back of his head.

"This has your signature all over it." She grumbled and he grinned at her.

"Glad to know you still remember my style!" he said and Lydia rolled her eyes while Stiles turned to look at Derek again. "Can you go to lunch now?" Derek exchanged a glance with Lydia before he looked at Stiles and nodded.

"Sure." He said and Stiles grinned at him.

"Great!" he all but hopped around the table and stopped beside Laura who was smiling a small smile; one Derek couldn't interpret for the life of him.

"I know I nice little place two streets down. We'd be close to the office in case Derek's needed." She said and Stiles winced as though he remembered something.

"Derek, about your phone-…"

"Already took care of it; let's go." Derek interrupted him and Stiles let go of a sigh of relief.

"Good."

"Stiles?" the three stopped on their way out when Lydia called her old friend out.

"Yes?"

"Do you think the two of us could go for coffee tomorrow afternoon?" she asked and Stiles smiled at her.

"Of course; we need to catch up on a lot of things either way." Lydia nodded.

"Come by the office around 3? I'm sure Derek and Laura will find something to do without you." Stiles looked at the two aforementioned people and they nodded at him.

"Sure." He grinned at Lydia and they made their way out. "I'll see you tomorrow." The door closed and Lydia crossed her arms over her chest with a small frown on her pretty face.

'I'll find out what you're hiding, Stiles. Mark my words.'

* * *

Derek sighed as he entered the elevator. Right after having lunch with Laura and Stiles he went back to the office to prepare everything for the Board meeting. He was tired and all he wanted to do was get to his bed and fall asleep.

He knew Laura was still with Erica. His sister was kind enough to inform him of that. What he didn't know was where Stiles went after lunch. A part of him hoped he was at Derek's apartment. They would at least have some time to talk and plan the rest of the week together. Another part of him hoped Stiles wasn't home, and that Derek would have some time for himself. The past 29 hours have been quite tiring.

He stepped out of the elevator with the keys of his apartment already in his hand. He pushed the kay into the hole and let go of a sigh of relief when he found it locked. He entered his apartment, dumped his briefcase beside the door and shrugged his suit-jacket off. He toed off his shoes and loosened his tie on his way to the bedroom. He threw the tie on the bed on his way to the wardrobe and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt before he pulled it over his head and threw it in the hamper beside the wardrobe.

"Wow, never thought you'd have a tattoo."

"Stiles!" he jumped around, his heart sinking to his stomach and found the younger man leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk on his face. The sleeves of his red, plaid shirt were rolled up to his elbows and the shirt was unbuttoned, showing the tight black wife-beater under it. "I thought you were out." Derek muttered and turned around to find himself a clean shirt.

"Laura has the key and I had nothing to do. I came in through your window." Stiles said and Derek huffed.

"I'll have to make another key." He grumbled. A moment later he tensed up when he felt Stiles close to him and a tender touch traced the tattoo between his shoulder blades.

"What does it mean?" Stiles asked and Derek sighed.

"It's a Triskele. It has a lot of meanings; mainly it means Past, Present and Future."

"But it doesn't mean that to you, does it?" Derek pulled on a light gray t-shirt and turned to face Stiles with a pair of jogging pants in his right hand.

"No, it doesn't." He confirmed and made his way to the bathroom, leaving Stiles alone in the bedroom. He changed quickly trying to gain control of himself. Stiles' fingers against his skin reminded him of the kisses they shared yesterday. The information Lydia gave him about Stiles was still running through his mind. The younger man was a walking mystery. If Lydia was right and Stiles wasn't a criminal, what was he? If he wasn't an outlaw, what was his profession? What was he doing for a living?

Lydia described him as a good man; a good man everyone would want for a friend, a l-…

'Wait.' He raised his head and looked into his reflection in the mirror. 'I wasn't about to think that, was I? I wasn't about to think that Stiles would be a good lover? Was I?' he frowned and looked down. He closed his eyes and tried to hear if Stiles was still in the bedroom. He couldn't hear him walking around, so Stiles was either still there waiting for him to come out, or he left the bedroom. Derek swallowed, opened his eyes and looked at his reflection again.

He hardly knew Stiles. What little he knew was what Lydia told him today and what he managed to gather from when they talked.

He honestly didn't believe Stiles was a criminal. Frankly; he didn't want to believe that. There was just something in his eyes, in the way he talked, the way he acted and the way he looked in someone's eyes when he spoke, that moved something in Derek. He knew Stiles couldn't be a murderer. He knew Stiles wasn't some lowlife criminal.

But _how_; how did he know that?

His mind was telling him that he knew nothing about Stiles, and yet his heart was telling him that he _did_. His heart was telling him that the younger man would never hurt him; that he would never endanger Laura.

But how was he so sure of that?

He sighed and got out of the bathroom. His eyes fell on the bedside cabinet where Stiles placed his duffle bag last night. Derek's hands were itching. They were itching with the need to try and find out more about him. Before he knew what he was doing, he moved over to the cabinet and opened it. He stopped himself just as he reached for the bag.

'What am I doing?' he thought as he closed the cabinet and stood up. He turned away from it and walked out of the room with determination. 'The less I know the better. He will leave once Laura leaves. No matter what happens, he will leave.' He walked into the kitchen only to stop in his tracks. Stiles was sitting at the table with his laptop in front of him, a cup of coffee and a glass of whiskey beside the laptop, and black-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose. He looked away from the screen when Derek entered and looked at Derek over the top of his glasses.

"Are you alright?" he asked and Derek frowned slightly.

"Yeah; I'm fine." He said and Stiles nodded.

"There's still coffee in the pot if you want some." Derek nodded and Stiles looked at the screen again. Once he had his cup of coffee in his hands, Derek leaned back against the cabinet and looked at Stiles. From what he could see, Stiles' screen was covered in some sort of a green binary code. Derek frowned slightly only to tense up when Stiles looked at him over his shoulder. A moment later he sighed, took his glasses off, folded them and placed them on the table beside the laptop. He closed it, stood up and leaned back against the table with his arms crossed over his chest. "Talk to me." Derek raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he bit out and Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes.

"We're supposed to live together for 5 more days and pretend we're engaged. If something's eating at you, I need to know so that I can fix it. I know every couple argues, but I think we shouldn't let Laura get the impression that we're having problems. Let her think we're perfectly happy, and once she leaves we'll think of something." Derek bit into his bottom lip. He completely forgot about that. He completely forgot that he would have to 'break up' with Stiles once Laura leaves. "Derek?" he looked at Stiles and the younger man sighed. "Look, I know we don't know each other for more than –what, 29 hours? You practically saved my ass yesterday. I want to help you if I can." Derek sighed and took a sip of his coffee.

"I'm worried about the presentation tomorrow. The Board of Directors has to approve of the program before we can put it on the market and this is the first time we're making an anti-virus program. I'm just a bit worried because we need a new program before the third trimester otherwise the stocks will fall." Stiles smiled at him and Derek felt something in him shift.

"You're worrying for nothing, Derek. With the few ads I added, the program will be a hit. You just present it to them tomorrow and have it tested. I promise the worth of your stocks will skyrocket with this program." Derek looked into Stiles' eyes and found nothing but complete honesty in them.

"Alright." He finally said and Stiles grinned at him.

"Good!" he pushed himself away from the table and clapped his hands. "Now, why don't you get some sleep; I'll start on dinner so we can eat when Laura comes back. You look dead on your feet." Derek nodded and finished his coffee while Stiles cleaned up the table.

"Wake me up when she comes home." He said and left the kitchen. He went into his bedroom, closed the door and all but threw himself into his bed. A small frown marred his face when he rolled over and smelled a familiar scent on the second pillow. 'Stiles.' He thought when the scent of coffee, cream and tobacco tickled his nose. His thoughts strayed from his intent to get some rest. 'I didn't see him smoking.' He looked up at the bedside cabinet on the other side of the bed. The need to check the duffle bag came back with a vengeance. He stubbornly closed his eyes and buried his face in the pillow, Stiles' scent washing over him and engraving itself in his mind.

'He'll leave when Laura leaves.' He thought as he willed himself to go to sleep. 'He'll leave.'

* * *

"I'm really impressed with how you handled Derek's problem today, Stiles." Laura commented as the younger man cleaned up the table after dinner and started to make coffee for everyone.

"I've made a few such programs so it wasn't difficult to find why it wasn't working." Stiles said as he placed the dishes in the dishwasher. He straightened and smiled at them. "I'm happy when I'm able to help." He shrugged and dried his hands on a hand-towel.

"You should really consider making him a subcontractor, Derek. He could really help." Laura said and Derek nodded.

"I've been thinking about it." He said and threw Stiles a small glance while the smaller man finished coffee.

"I'll be right back; need to check my e-mail." Stiles said and Laura stood up to serve coffee. She smiled when Stiles kissed Derek on his way out, and turned her back on them. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Stiles was out of the room and saw her brother looking at the table with a thoughtful frown.

"He's really good for you." She commented as she poured coffee into three cups. She turned around and found Derek staring at her. "You'd be a fool to lose him." She took a seat at the table and placed once cup in front of Derek and another in front of herself.

"You're making it sound like I'll chase him away." He grumbled and Laura chuckled.

"Don't take me wrong, Derek, but I can't help but think that you've been single all these years by choice and not by chance."

"Laura, you know I've-…" she rolled her eyes and interrupted him.

"You can keep on insisting that you hadn't had time for relationships, Derek, but I know you. I know that you're a good man and that you would make a great husband to anyone lucky enough to snatch you up. I just have a feeling you've been using the family business as an excuse as not to get involved with anyone. Frankly, I'm surprised Stiles agreed to _be_ with you, let alone _marry_ you. You're so dedicated to the business. You hardly go out, and I know for a fact that you never leave before closing time. I'm honestly surprised Stiles didn't pack up and leave."

"How do you know that?" he asked with a frown and Laura rolled her eyes.

"You pass beside Erica's café every time you go from work." She answered dully and Derek frowned. "Derek-…" she started only to stop and sigh. "Stiles is a good man, and I can see that he cares about you a lot. The way he looks at you, the way he touches you; the way he's trying so hard to help you and relax you makes me fear that if you don't stop taking him for granted, you're going to lose him." Derek frowned at her. 'What is she talking about?' he thought and Laura smiled at his confused frown. "I may have been with you for less than two days, Derek, but I'm a woman and we see things you men don't."

"What are you talking about?" he asked and Laura snorted.

"Why is he always the one to initiate any sort of interaction between the two of you? Yesterday and today is example enough. I figured you never took him to the office before. You two never went out, because someone _would have_ seen you. Stiles doesn't strike me as someone who hides his feelings. He's outgoing and fun, and I'm afraid that he's suppressing it all because of you." Derek's frown deepened. He didn't like hearing this. Not just because his engagement to Stiles was a big fat lie, but because Laura seemed to be seeing right through things. If Derek didn't do something she would figure out that they're lying to her, and Derek couldn't let that happen. "You should let him in, Derek." He looked at Laura and she smiled at him. "He's perfect for you. Let him in. You'd be surprised with how good it feels." Before Derek could say something Stiles walked into the kitchen with a groan.

"I really need that coffee right now." He grumbled and grabbed the cup Laura prepared for him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked while Stiles all but drank his coffee in one go.

"I have a meeting tomorrow morning. I won't be able to hang out with you Laura." He spoke mournfully and while Derek frowned Laura rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to hold my hand while I'm here, Stiles. I can find my own fun. You just do what you have to do. Call me when you're done and we can have lunch together." He nodded with a small smile.

"Is it something important?" Derek asked and Stiles looked at him.

"Just a new customer; it's nothing especially difficult or dangerous." He spoke teasingly, but Derek nodded never the less and Laura raised an eyebrow at them.

"Why would programming be dangerous?" she asked and Stiles snickered. Derek glared at him and Stiles stuck his tongue out and him.

"Derek's just worried someone would snatch me away from him." He drawled and Derek's glare intensified while Laura rolled her eyes.

"You always _were_ a bit possessive." She muttered and Derek turned his glare on her.

"Aww, come on, Sourwolf." Stiles whined and Derek looked at him. "You know I'm yours, right?" he grinned, but Derek saw something glimmer in his amazing eyes; something he couldn't name.

"Jealous much, brother?" the raven haired man choked up when Laura drawled teasingly and Stiles laughed.

"Derek? Jealous? Please; he knows it would take the armies of hell to drag me away from him." Stiles winked at him and Laura gushed while Derek just observed Stiles quietly.

Something was telling him Stiles wasn't playing around. Lydia's words rolled around his mind, and he felt as though something gripped his heart.

He really hoped the next five days would go by quickly.

He really did.

* * *

Derek woke up with a shiver, and it didn't take him long to figure out that he was alone in bed. He took a seat and looked around, only to find the window open. 'It was closed when we went to sleep.' He thought as he got out of bed and walked over to the window. He raised an eyebrow when he found Stiles sitting on the fence with his back turned towards Derek. The raven haired man frowned slightly when Stiles tilted his head back and blew out a line of tainted smoke.

"Sorry if I woke you up." Derek frowned when Stiles spoke up. Making a minute decision he stepped out on the fire-escape and crossed his arms on the fence beside Stiles.

"Didn't know you smoked." He said and Stiles chuckled.

"It's a nasty habit." He murmured as he inhaled another bout of nicotine with a small moan. "A habit I'm not so willing to try and shake." Derek nodded and looked at the sky. "You don't mind, do you?" he looked at Stiles who was looking at him from the corner of his eyes and snorted.

"Not if you don't mind sharing." He said and Stiles snorted. He took a box of cigarettes from his pocket together with a lighter and offered them to Derek.

"I didn't take you for an addict." He commented as Derek lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"It's a nasty habit." He threw Stiles' words back at him, and the younger man chuckled. Silence settled over them as they gazed up at the sky. They could see a few stars but the pollution and the lights of the city were in their way of enjoying the evening completely.

"This is not how I imagined my life to be." Stiles murmured and Derek looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He wasn't completely sure Stiles meant to say that out loud.

"Being falsely engaged to me or running whoever you're running from?" he asked and Stiles chuckled.

"Neither perhaps? To be completely honest, I have no idea how I ended up in this fucked up situation." Derek found himself wondering again what Stiles was talking about exactly. He didn't have to wonder for long though, because Stiles started speaking again. "I was engaged once, you know? Three years ago, I was supposed to marry this really nice guy."

"What happened?" Derek asked and Stiles hummed. He bowed his head and looked down at the ground below them, and all of a sudden Derek felt the incredible need to grab the younger man and pull him off of the fence and back into the safety of his room.

"He vanished." Stiles murmured. "Went MIA." Derek frowned at Stiles' words. From what he could see, Stiles' eyes were filled with shadows. There were slight dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were pulled into a thin line. Derek wanted to ask what he meant with what he said. He wanted to know what happened to Stiles' fiancé, but the words were stuck in his throat. He was shaken out of his thoughts when Stiles sighed and started swinging his legs back and forth as he finished his cigarette. "It doesn't matter now though." He put out what was left of it and threw it on the ground beneath them. "You need to go back to bed, Derek. You need to be in top shape tomorrow."

"What about you?" he asked as Stiles got onto safer ground.

"I'll go watch some TV. I don't feel like sleeping." He entered the room, leaving Derek alone. Derek finished his cigarette as well, but didn't go in immediately. He looked up at the sky and frowned.

No matter how much he was telling himself that Stiles would leave soon, he couldn't help but want to get to know him.

'Maybe I should take Lydia up on that offer.' He thought as he looked at the window leading to his bedroom.

Somehow he knew that he wouldn't have any peace until he knew more.

He doubted Stiles would just come out and tell him everything. If Lydia was right, whatever Stiles was involved with was dangerous, and the younger man would try to keep Derek and Laura as far away from it as possible.

The conversation Stiles had on the phone last night rolled around Derek's mind and he hummed lowly.

He would talk to Lydia tomorrow.

He would know the truth; no matter what it took.

* * *

**More comes as soon as possible!****  
****Please, tell me if you liked it. I've never written anything like this before, and I want to know if I'm doing alright.**

**All my love, ****  
****Ms. Yuki**


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